During a drilling operation, a drill bit may be rotated by rotation of the entire drilling string or by the use of a downhole motor. Typical downhole motors are positive displacement motors that include progressive cavity or Moineau pumps. Progressive cavity pumps traditionally include a stator and a multi-lobed eccentrically rotating rotor. Fluid flow through the stator causes eccentric rotation of the rotor. The eccentric rotation is typically transferred to a concentrically rotating drive shaft by a transmission assembly. In some instances, the transmission includes a transmission shaft coupled to the drive shaft and rotor by universal joints. Because downhole motors are used to rotate the drill bit in a single direction, the universal joints are typically designed to transfer rotational forces in one direction. However, during certain operations or operating conditions, the rotation of the drill bit and drive shaft may suddenly increase in speed relative to the transmission shaft, causing sudden rotational loading on the universal joint in the opposite direction. This change in speed may be caused, for example and without limitation, when the downhole motor is stopped and started, due to frictional effects such as stick-slip of the drill bit wherein the drill bit is periodically stopped due to frictional effects between the drill bit and the formation, or during other operations of the downhole motor. Backlash, defined as the looseness or play between adjacent moveable parts, within the universal joints may cause damage to the components of the universal joints as the components of the universal joints are loaded in the opposite direction to usual. In some cases, the backlash may allow components of the universal joints to suddenly contact each other, causing shock loading to the components.